"Samuel."

Their eyes met like the lightening striking the sky. Violet observed his face with a frown. "What are you doing here?"

"Risking my life," said Samuel through gritted teeth. "Do you have any sense or not? Have you been taught of intelligence? Have you heard of the word 'warning' or 'death'?"

Violet narrowed her eyes, blinking her wet lashes in the faint irritation. "Who are you to ask me? Leave my hands."

Samuel flared his nostrils while leaving her one hand and tugged on her wrist that he had still caught tightly. "The beast is roaming around to kill us," he muttered while walking towards the street.

Violet winced at his tight hold and walked along him forcefully. "Samuel! What are you doing?" She twitched her lips in pain. "Leave my hand! Where are you to taking me?"

"To your home, woman!"

She clenched her jaws and tried hard to get her hand loosen from his hold. But Samuel was determined in his actions. He kept walking while looking around in the dark sharply.

"There must be a pit somewhere, here." She warned him when they reached the familiar street. "Beware."

Samuel only glared at her sideways while continued walking.

"Have you been following me?" The thought came to Violet as she immediately asked him.

"Samara told me to."

Violet huffed angrily. "Why?"

"Because look around you, woman! Rain, thunder, beast! If you want to die, then choke yourself with a rope at your own home. Do not pull my sister in between your plans. She has gotten betrothed barely a day ago."

Violet breathed hard while twisting her wrist in his hold. "I am not pulling her. She is equally interested in finding out. I made this plan and she was denying. But she also wants to find out about the soldier hiding beneath that beast."

They reached home while lightening struck in the sky loudly. Violet caught the pale face of Samuel, the marks of wounds at the corner of his lips and chin.

"She didn't have the heart to risk her life or break our hearts by walking over our scoldings and warnings. But being the naive girl she has always been, she cared for you. She sent me, not caring about my life, to stop you from leaving home," he explained while flaring his nostrils. "Now, get inside or I will wake your parents up and tell them everything."

"You will only be lowering down your image in front of them," she mocked while rubbing her wrist when he left her.

Samuel narrowed his eyes. "Do not tempt me, woman. I will hit you right on the head where it is needed. Go inside, already." He wiped back the hair pasted on his forehead.

Violet huffed loudly and walked towards her house. She stood in front of her door and could already hear Samuel turning around.

Immediately, the thunder ran across the sky. It all felt like a big storm. The stray dog in her street howled.

It curled her heart.

Violet immediately turned around. "Samuel!"

He stopped walking and looked back at her.

Violet gave him a concerned look. "Do not leave. The beast must be roaming."

Samuel gave her an angry look. "So, now you understand this?"

She flinched at his raised tone. "If Samara cares about my life, I must care about hers too. She won't be alive at seeing her brother's dead body in the morning."

Samuel chuckled humorlessly while continuing walking. "Foolish."

Violet digested the comment but didn't take bitterness to the heart. She knew that Samuel was angry at the situation. Her heart was drowning in fear for his life.

"Please. I beg you. Stay. You can leave early morning," she said while walking behind him.

Samuel stopped, irritated by her act. Why was she following him? "Go to your house, Violet."

"Come with me. My parents don't have to know."

Samuel thought about it for a moment at seeing her guilt-filled face. "If any neighbour sees us, they will think wrong. Your character will turn questionable."

Violet didn't care.

"My character is not important than your life. Stay," she pleaded. "This is the least I can do in return of you coming all the way to here to stop me."

Samuel stared at her through the rain.

______

The window swung along the strong gusts of wind.

Samara got up from the bed and came closer to the wall to close it. But the empty path of the colony was making heart drop. The tears leaked from her eyes in ultimate worry.

Where was her brother? How was Violet? Were they alright? Had they even met each other already?

If not, then she didn't know what kind of brutal punishment she deserved for risking their lives.

A sob choked her throat as she slowly tried to close the window. But a sudden thought came to her mind.

Was Nathaniel going to come tonight too?

She gulped while looking around properly, checking all the places with her eyes. In the dark, nothing was visible. But she knew that she didn't see any sign.

She hadn't even heard a howl tonight.

What did it mean?

Was the beast late or didn't want to kill tonight?

Closing the window, she sighed and muttered a prayer for her brother and best friend.

They needed it.

_______

The dark blue sky started to lighten. The rain had stopped while only mud was left for them to walk in.

Violet yawned while shaking her head. Her gaze moved away from the window towards the mattress on the floor that she had spread for Samuel. He was sleeping peacefully in nothing but an old robe of her father for him to wrap around under the blanket she provided him to sleep beneath.

He was sleeping on his stomach and his back was uncovered. Seeing the marks of the wounds she didn't even know about, made her gulp slowly.

Samuel had suffered so much. A fresh heartbreak, getting targeted by the soldiers, being bullied by Nathaniel, now seeing his lover getting betrothed to that monster only. And these wounds.

She moved her tongue inside her mouth while looking out of the window. This was the perfect time for him to sneak out. Otherwise, her mother would be waking up any soon and would directly come into her room to wake her up.

Violet glanced at her cupboard under which she had hid the book she had left on the bed before Samuel could even enter her room.

She walked towards him and slowly whispered, "Samuel. Wake up."

This wouldn't help. She cleared her throat as her voice had gotten hoarse. She couldn't sleep all night in order to be awake at the right time for his sneaking out.

She palmed his naked shoulder and gulped hard. She shook it slowly. "Samuel. Get up. It's dawn."

Samuel stirred slowly but didn't wake up. Violet breathed in exhaustion and pinched his shoulder a little.

Samuel shook like he was struck by lightening. He winced loudly and immediately got his mouth cupped by Violet.

"Shhh. . ." She glared at him. "Quiet."

Samuel came to his senses and turned around slowly to look at her morning face. Her wet hair had dried but her eyes were covered with dark bags. "Don't touch me," he said, his words muffling under her palm.

Violet's stomach churned as she immediately pulled her hand back and nodded. Looking away, she got up. "Your clothes are dried the most they could."

She had spent the whole night putting them near the fire place in her room and changing sides.

Samuel blinked tiredly and got up slowly. The blanket and the robe sliding his body immediately.

Violet's breath hitched at seeing his chest covered with faint marks of wounds. Her eyes went lower observing his lean torso, a trail of hair going down, she closed her eyes and gasped.

Samuel knew the commotion and corrected his robe. Getting up with fully trying to cover his naked buttocks, he walked towards the fireplace.

Violet slowly opened her eyes to see him observing his clothes. His face holding the warmth of the fire that was going down soon.

"Turn around," he said while loosening the hold on the blanket under which he was hiding.

Violet nodded and turned around, fidgeting her fingers.

Samuel started wearing his breeches while glancing at the woman's back. A small smile curved his lips at remembering the horror on her face when his robe had slipped while getting up.

He shook his head and continued wearing his clothes.

______

Looking around the muddy verandah of theirs, Lord Lester twitched his lips. Now, he would have to spend whole day pushing this cart through mud.

With that thought, he picked up the mug and started washing the mud away from the concrete porch of his house. Then, he started doing his routine by opening the sacks of vegetables he brought last day from the big market. Washing them with sprinkles, he decided to decorate his cart.

But before he could even walk towards the cart, Rodwin came out of the house to check on him.

"Father?" His voice was way too hoarse because of the cold night that had passed. The cold would always reach his nose first. "You are awake already? Even the sun is sleeping."

Lord Lester smiled at his son. "Is this the first time, son? Go inside and sleep. I won't leave without waking you up and making your food. Take a bath and have some tea. I have made it a moment ago."

Rodwin rubbed his eyes sleepily but at his father's words, he hung his arms to smile lazily. "What if I say I want to sleep?"

His father had always been an early riser and from the childhood, Rodwin was taught to rise earlier than the sun. The son of a vegetable seller knew the value of getting those extra three hours.

To Rodwin's surprise, his father shook his head tiredly. "Then, go inside and sleep. I will wake you up two hours later. I have only one son and do not want him to fall around in lack of the sleep. But will the authorities object in the castle at you coming late?"

Rodwin crossed his big muscular arms across his chest and stared at his father. Without the sun, the air was freezing especially he was only in his loose pajamas.

"They can't. Your son is nearly the authority himself," he muttered while walking ahead to observe the fresh vegetables.

Lord Lester left the mug on the nearby spot slowly and turned around to look at him. He observed his pale face due to the lack of sunlight he was receiving these days. He couldn't blame him though. It was their village, cursed of this terrible weather.

"What have I told you about the rank you have gotten?" Lord Lester said while walking closer to him, admiring his son's height by craning his neck.

Those green eyes of his held so many ambitions that he used to hold once. But being trapped by poverty, those dreams were gone. He couldn't give his wife a new and proper house. He couldn't get his son taught at the castle because of the lack of money. He won't be able give him a big fortune to live with after his own death.

But he knew, Rodwin didn't care about it anymore. His son was one in a million. His cheeky smile reminded him of his mischievous wife. He was just like his mother.

"To never be arrogant about what you achieve, son." Lord Lester observed his broad shoulders. "Whatever that God decides to give you, it is because you make yourself worthy of it. If you do the mistake of not following the path, the God doesn't take a moment to remove it all. The fame, the power."

Rodwin tilted his head to stare at his father. "I am not arrogant, old man. You know that."

Lord Lester gave him a serious look. "Remember your roots always, Rodwin. Never forget how this house had no doors and your mother and I have suffered a storm together while you were about to come into our lives. When you grew up slowly, we had doors. I could save you from the wind but couldn't keep you in the pleasure of warmth that only comes from riches."

Rodwin blinked quietly.

"Never forget those days when your father is unable to earn even a single coin because of the crop failure. Never forget that the men who used to study with me in my childhood are now high Lords in the castle while your father is just a vendor. Why? Because he used to be arrogant of his dreams even before he could achieve them. My pride broke when this poverty trapped me."

Lord Lester took a slow breathe.

"Pride is for me to hold when I see you. Save that pride for your own son when he will show his achievements. Until then, be my kind and brave son," he spoke lowly.

Rodwin blinked sleepily. "You blew my sleep away. What made you do this serious talk early in this morning?"

His father showed no effect on his face.

Rodwin sighed and nodded. "Yes, father. Whatever you say will be my formula for life. I will not be proud and arrogant. I will always be the son you want."

Lord Lester finally smiled and patted his muscular forearm. "Go now. Sleep or have your tea."

Rodwin chuckled at his cheeky face because the option of sleeping for extra two hours was nowhere in thought now.

His father was not an innocent thing, he surely knew.

But suddenly he remembered that the watch had began. He glanced back at his father.

"They are catching the beast, tonight. For which they have guarded the whole forest area and village. You stay in the house only. Those who want to buy vegetables can come by themselves," said Rodwin while turning around and going into the house.

"They can eat mud if they want. But I have to earn money. I am leaving-"

"I said, no." Rodwin raised his tone, giving him the dead look. "It is serious, father. If they don't find the beast tonight on time, the beast will surely have his new meal. It has been three to four days without the news of a murder. He is coming, tonight. For the kill. And I am not letting you die before seeing your grandchildren."

Lord Lester gulped while watching his son going inside the house. Looking down at his cart, he glanced back at the door and sighed heavily.

"For my grandchildren."

_______

"What do you think?"

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____

Some action coming up in next chapters. Will update soon.